OT: Wimbledon 2019 - Gauff (15 yr old girl)

[eebmg]

Damn, I thought the match was tonight!

You got another chance. Next is a qualifier (although Coco was a qualifier). Third round would be Naomi Osaka if she makes it that far

 

[eebmg]

Alert: 17 yr old Katie McNally takes Serena in set 1 7-5.
Big kid. No fluke.

 

[eebmg]

Serena upping her game. Takes set 2 6-3.

McNally takes so many chances on her serves (and service returns). Will need to
curtail that as she gets older imho.

Edit: Serena just bludgeons McNally and breaks her at love. Think this may end quickly now.

 

[eebmg]

Gauff takes set 1 6-2 over qualifier Babos after being broken in game 1.

Babos is not really giving her a test. So many unforced errors

Edit: Spoke too soon. Babos cleaned up her game and took the second set 6-4.

 

[VAMike23]

C O C O ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

 

[Checkmate 2.0]

Gauff wins tonight.

She might be the fastest ATP player

 

[eebmg]

Played well but seemed to have more errors than in Round 1. Babos had some big errors on her final set break.

But you got to love the emotion she plays with.

She goes against Osaka. That will be fun.

 

[triaddukefan]

Didnt want to make a whole thread about this last week, but the local ATP tournament (Winston-Salem Open) did something different. For the first time ever... they had an Women's exhibition match featuring Gauff vs Barty.... tickets sold out in under two hours.. A write up of the event if you care to read about it.... but it was a huge success....

Ashleigh Barty, Coco Gauff thrill crowd in their women's exhibition match in the Winston-Salem Open

 

[Checkmate 2.0]

Didnt want to make a whole thread about this last week, but the local ATP tournament (Winston-Salem Open) did something different. For the first time ever... they had an Women's exhibition match featuring Gauff vs Barty.... tickets sold out in under two hours.. A write up of the event if you care to read about it.... but it was a huge success....

Ashleigh Barty, Coco Gauff thrill crowd in their women's exhibition match in the Winston-Salem Open

Gauff filled up Armstrong Stadium with close to 14,000 fans last night. She has a chance to be a top 10 player soon. She needs to improve her consistency, however, she is very smart, fast, has a great serve, etc. And she is just 15.

 

[triaddukefan]

Overshadowed by the Gauff victory, but Taylor Townsend knocked off Halep. I've always liked TT's game.

 

[Crossover]

Overshadowed by the Gauff victory, but Taylor Townsend knocked off Halep. I've always liked TT's game.

Thanks for the video. Man is it fun to see someone who likes to serve and volley (as does the young player whom Serena just beat). I hope it is making a comeback.

 

[JordyG]

Thanks for the video. Man is it fun to see someone who likes to serve and volley (as does the young player whom Serena just beat). I hope it is making a comeback.

It seems there is a bunch of young players that like to play that serve and volley game. Too bad I don't see a bunch of young men doing the same.

 

[eebmg]

Here is a more detailed background story of Townsend's ordeals with the USTA and her career path.

Pretty tough lady.

Taylor Townsend has her come up at the US Open

In a career full of trials and tribulations where Taylor Townsend struggled through being body-shamed and abandoned, perhaps the lowest point of her journey cam…

theundefeated.com

 

[DaddyChoc]

Gauff filled up Armstrong Stadium with close to 14,000 fans last night. She has a chance to be a top 10 player soon. She needs to improve her consistency, however, she is very smart, fast, has a great serve, etc. And she is just 15.

Coco's enthusiasm is amazing

 

[eebmg]

Townsend playing now on ESPN2. Broke at 5-5 at love to go up 6-5. Serving for the first set. Let's get behind her.

Edit:

She goes serve and volley every shot and is successful. Won the game at love. 7-5 first set.

 

[eebmg]

Congratulations to Taylor. 7-5 6-2. Nice mature post game interview. So happy she has made it to the RD of 16.

 

[eebmg]

Ok. Here we go. Osaka vs Gauff.

Edit 1 Osaka looked unbeatable for first 3 games taking a 3-0 lead but Gauff fighting back just broke Osaka to get back on sever 3-2. Gauff not showing any nerves (except on double faults) and Osaka will have to hit winners to take it.

Edit 2: Osaka takes first set 6-3. I forgot how good her ground strokes are. Incredible angles. Like a Picasso. Gauff is not playing poorly but Osaka brought her A game (except the 2nd serve)

 

[DaBball]

Osaka was terrific. She is an absolute class act.

 

[DefenseBB]

WHile I do think what Osaka did was genuine with asking Gauff to participate in the post match interview, it was also a shrewd move to gain the crowd behind her in the Matches coming up.

 

[JordyG]

WHile I do think what Osaka did was genuine with asking Gauff to participate in the post match interview, it was also a shrewd move to gain the crowd behind her in the Matches coming up.

Especially after hearing boos during her last major championship.

 

[eebmg]

WHile I do think what Osaka did was genuine with asking Gauff to participate in the post match interview, it was also a shrewd move to gain the crowd behind her in the Matches coming up.

If every one was that shrewd, the world would be a better place. Nice to see sportsmanship where ever it is.

Nice before the contagion named Kyriogios plays.

 

[eebmg]

If every one was that shrewd, the world would be a better place. Nice to see sportsmanship where ever it is.

Nice before the contagion named Kyrgios plays.

Kyrgios played to the level of his desire in the game. Straight set loss. Toodles.

 

[VAMike23]

I was a tennis TV junkie throughout the 80’s , watching tons of matches, mostly on the men’s side but also women’s . . . .and as I watched Coco and (especially) Osaka pummel the fuzz off the ball with their ground strokes last night, I realized they were hitting significantly harder than the guys were in the 80s, even after the switch to graphite frames etc.

Obviously , this is not totally new—Serena and a number of other women have been hitting it really hard for awhile. I guess it stuck out more last night bc A) Coco is only 15 and B) many of the hardest hits from both did not even result in winners but were simply part of a continued rally.

Scary, scary, SCARY PACE !!!!!!!

 

[eebmg]

I was a tennis TV junkie throughout the 80’s , watching tons of matches, mostly on the men’s side but also women’s . . . .and as I watched Coco and (especially) Osaka pummel the fuzz off the ball with their ground strokes last night, I realized they were hitting significantly harder than the guys were in the 80s, even after the switch to graphite frames etc.

Obviously , this is not totally new—Serena and a number of other women have been hitting it really hard for awhile. I guess it stuck out more last night bc A) Coco is only 15 and B) many of the hardest hits from both did not even result in winners but were simply part of a continued rally.

Scary, scary, SCARY PACE !!!!!!!

One of the differences that separated Osaka from Coco was that Osaka could absorb just about any level of pace and subtly direct the shot towards the lines (and often at severe angles). I hope Osaka uses this as an internal lesson that she is her own worst enemy. If she plays freely, I think she will win the US Open.

 

[iri10]

Coco is a pretty freakish athlete by tennis standards. Makes me wonder what sort of basketball PG (or soccer player, etc.) she would have been.

Powerful (but not necessarily refined) serve, good backhand, very fast around the court. Not a very good forehand at this point - that's something she needs to work on. A long way to go still between where she is and an actually great (top 20 / top 10) tennis player. There'll be pressure to overcome to get there as well, with the corporate sponsor and American tennis media pressure being way, way higher than the average 15 year old gets.

Hopefully she'll get there - tennis could use some more new stars.